JP4382595B2 - Viscous fluid supply device and method for preventing solidification thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a viscous fluid coating apparatus and its solidification prevention method, and more particularly to a viscous fluid supply apparatus that holds a viscous fluid and supplies it to a coating head and its solidification prevention method.

  Conventionally, in the manufacture of semiconductor packages, the application of viscous fluids such as underfill adhesives, fluxes and sealants to substrates and semiconductor chips has been widely used in the manufacture of semiconductor packages. Is done. This application is performed by applying a viscous fluid to the substrate that has been transferred to the working position by the transfer means by the application head.

  By the way, the viscous fluid application device is required to control the application amount of the viscous fluid with high accuracy in order to prevent variation in the application amount of the viscous fluid to the substrate or the like. As a prior art corresponding to such a request, there is a paste supply apparatus described in Patent Document 1. This relates to a viscous fluid supply device that retains a viscous fluid and supplies the viscous fluid to an application head. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of this viscous fluid supply apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 9, the viscous fluid supply apparatus includes a container 800 in which the viscous fluid is held, a screw part 810 disposed in the container 800, and a drive motor 820 that drives the screw part 810. When supplying a viscous fluid, the viscous fluid supply device having such a structure rotates the screw part 810 in a predetermined direction so that the viscous fluid is guided to the supply port 830 and supplies the viscous fluid. If not, the screw portion 810 is rotated in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction to control the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the container 800. Therefore, even when the viscous fluid is not supplied, the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the container does not change greatly, and a good viscosity can be maintained. Therefore, the viscous fluid supply device can apply the viscous fluid with high accuracy. Allows quantity control.
JP-A-4-347638

  However, in the viscous fluid supply device described in Patent Document 1, since a screw part, a drive motor, and a member for holding them must be newly provided in the container, the structure of the container is complicated, and the size and cost of the apparatus are increased. A new problem of rising arises.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a viscous fluid supply device having a simple structure and a method for preventing the solidification thereof that enables highly accurate control of the amount of viscous fluid applied.

In order to achieve the above object, a viscous fluid supply apparatus of the present invention is a viscous fluid supply apparatus that supplies a viscous fluid to an application head that applies the viscous fluid to an object to be coated, and is a cylindrical fluid holding the viscous fluid. A tank connected to a supply pipe that guides the viscous fluid in the tank to the coating head; a piston that covers a liquid surface of the viscous fluid held in the tank and moves up and down in the tank; By continuously applying a pressure larger than atmospheric pressure to the space above the piston in the tank, air supply means for supplying air , and the viscous fluid in the tank is guided to the coating head by opening and closing. whether determines, to turn on / off the supply of the viscous fluid, the supply of the viscous fluid to the supply the coating head by the connected supply cock to the pipe is stopped the coating f A detecting means for de detects that it has reached a degree of a predetermined time the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the time not the viscous fluid has the application tank from the end of the coating operation to a substrate is increased, the If the time detecting means is not applying a viscous fluid is detected that reaches the predetermined time, with respect to the air supply means, the pulsed a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure from the supply state to continually added And a control means for controlling to switch to a solidification preventing state in which the supply pressure is repeatedly increased and decreased. Here, at least one of the tank and the piston may be made of an elastic member, and the viscous fluid supply device further includes a pipe for guiding the viscous fluid supplied from the tank to the application head, and a halfway of the pipe And a cock for turning on / off the supply of the viscous fluid.

  Accordingly, even when the coating head is not performing the coating operation, the viscous fluid in the tank is moved, so that the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the tank is prevented from increasing. Further, the viscous fluid supply device of the present invention has a simpler structure than the viscous fluid supply device of FIG. Therefore, it is possible to realize a viscous fluid supply device having a simple structure that enables the application amount control of the viscous fluid with high accuracy.

Also, the control unit, when a time during which the not performed coating operations exceeds a predetermined time, the to air may be increased and controlled descent to repeat Suyo the supply pressure, said control means When the time during which the application operation is not performed exceeds a predetermined time, air is supplied to the space at a supply pressure greater than atmospheric pressure and the supplied air is alternately released to the atmosphere. it may be controlled to return Suyo.

As a result, an increase in the viscosity of the viscous fluid is prevented by simply repeating the supply and stop of air to the tank, so that a viscous fluid supply device having a simpler structure can be realized.
Further, the piston may be a cylindrical body whose side surface is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the tank, and the viscous fluid adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the tank may be scraped off along with the vertical movement.

  As a result, the viscous fluid adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the tank is scraped off by the piston, so that a viscous fluid supply device that reliably supplies the viscous fluid in the tank to the coating head can be realized.

  According to the viscous fluid supply device and the solidification prevention method of the present invention, the supply of air to the tank can be controlled by an electromagnetic valve without providing a new member in the tank or changing the structure of the tank. It is possible to prevent the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the tank from rising by simply turning it on / off. Therefore, the viscous fluid supply device having a simple structure that enables highly precise control of the amount of viscous fluid applied, and its solidification prevention A method can be realized. That is, it is possible to realize a small-sized and low-cost viscous fluid supply device and a method for preventing the solidification thereof that can control the application amount of the viscous fluid with high accuracy.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a viscous fluid application device having a simple structure capable of controlling the application amount of the viscous fluid with high accuracy, and its practical value is extremely high.

Hereinafter, a viscous fluid supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external view of a viscous fluid coating apparatus configured to include the viscous fluid supply apparatus of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the viscous fluid coating apparatus.

  The viscous fluid application device according to the present embodiment includes an application head 100 that applies a viscous fluid to a substrate 140a that is an object to be applied, a viscous fluid supply device 102 that supplies the viscous fluid to the application head 100, and a first shaft. A first shaft portion 110 (for example, an X-axis portion) that positions and moves the coating head 100 in a direction, and movement of the coating head 100 and the viscous fluid supply device 102 in a second axial direction orthogonal to the first axial direction. The positioning of the coating head 100 in the third axis direction orthogonal to the plane formed by the second axis portion 120 (for example, the Y axis portion) for positioning and the first axis direction and the second axis direction is performed. A third shaft portion 130 (for example, a Z-axis portion) to be performed, a substrate transport portion 140 that transports the substrate 140a to a predetermined position on a plane formed by the first axial direction and the second axial direction, and the coating head 100 Head height to detect the height of The substrate 140 a is formed by the output sensor 150, the control unit 160 that controls the movement operation of the first shaft unit 110, the second shaft unit 120, and the third shaft unit 130, and the coating operation control of the coating head 100. A substrate detection sensor (not shown) for detecting that the sheet has been conveyed to a predetermined position.

  In the following, for example, the first axial direction is the X direction, the second axial direction is the Y direction, the third axial direction is the Z direction, the first axial part is the X axial part, and the second axial part is the Y axis. And the third shaft portion are called Z-axis portions. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the structures of the coating head 100 and the viscous fluid supply device 102.
The coating head 100 includes a nozzle 310 that discharges viscous fluid and a discharge shaft 320, and is movable in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction.

  The viscous fluid supply device 102 includes a replaceable cartridge 330, a switching valve 331, an air supply source 332, and a supply pipe 340 that guides the viscous fluid of the cartridge 330 to the application head 100. And can be moved in the Y direction. Here, the switching valve 331 and the air supply source 332 constitute an air supply means.

  Here, when the coating head 100 attached to the X-axis part 110 moves in the Y direction, the viscous fluid supply device 102 fixed to the X-axis part 110 once also moves the X-axis part 110. When the application head 100 moves in the Y direction together with the application head 100 and the application head 100 moves in the X direction and the Z direction, the viscous fluid supply device 102 is stationary regardless of the movement of the application head 100.

  The discharge shaft 320 is disposed inside the coating head 100 so as to be rotatable about the axis along the axial direction of the nozzle 310. The screw shaft 321 is formed once in the discharge shaft 320, and the viscous fluid is guided from the supply pipe 340 into the cavity on the side where the screw portion 321 is formed. The screw part 321 transfers the viscous fluid according to the rotation of the discharge shaft 320 and discharges the viscous fluid from the nozzle 310. When the viscous fluid is discharged from the nozzle 310, the pressing force generated by the rotation of the screw is used.

  A supply cock 341 for determining whether or not to guide the viscous fluid of the cartridge 330 to the application head 100 by opening and closing is connected to the supply pipe 340 in the vicinity of the application head 100 and connected to turn on / off the supply of the viscous fluid.

The cartridge 330 is a cylindrical, large-capacity (for example, 600 cc) tank disposed at the end of the viscous fluid application device so as to be movable in the Y direction.
In the cartridge 330, a piston 334 that is a cylindrical body that covers the liquid surface of the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 and moves up and down in the cartridge 330 is disposed. Since the side surface of the piston 334 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge 330 and moves along the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge 330, the viscous fluid adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge 330 is scraped off by the piston 334. Here, the piston 334 is an elastic member made of plastic or the like, and the shape of the piston 334 changes depending on the force applied to the outer peripheral surface between the compressed air and the viscous fluid. However, the piston 334 is not necessarily an elastic member.

  A constant pressure of compressed air is supplied to the space above the piston 334 in the cartridge 330, and the compressed air applies a force to push the supply pipe 340 to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330. Here, the cartridge 330 is an elastic member made of polypropylene, ethylene, or the like, and the internal volume of the cartridge 330 changes according to the force applied to the inner peripheral surface by the compressed air. However, the cartridge 330 is not necessarily an elastic member. Furthermore, at least one of the piston 334 and the cartridge 330 may be an elastic member, or both may be an elastic member, or both may not be an elastic member.

  The switching valve 331 is operated by a control signal from the control unit 160 and causes the cartridge 330 to communicate with the air supply source 332 to supply compressed air having a pressure larger than atmospheric pressure to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334. Alternatively, the cartridge 330 is connected to the atmosphere, and compressed air having a pressure equivalent to the atmospheric pressure is supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334. Here, the compressed air constitutes the supply pressure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the outline of the operation of the viscous fluid applying apparatus having the above structure.
First, the substrate detection sensor detects that the substrate 140a has been transported to a predetermined position, and the viscous fluid coating device starts a coating operation (step S400).

  Next, the coating head 100 and the viscous fluid supply device 102 are moved to predetermined XY positions by the X-axis part 110 and the Y-axis part 120 (step S410). This is performed by moving the coating head 100 and the viscous fluid supply device 102 to a predetermined Y position by the Y-axis portion 120 and moving the coating head 100 to a predetermined X position by the X-axis portion 110.

Next, the coating head 100 is lowered to a predetermined height by the Z-axis part 130 (step S420).
Next, the viscous fluid is applied to the substrate 140a by the application head 100 (step S430).

Next, the coating head 100 is raised to a predetermined height by the Z-axis part 130 (step S440).
Finally, the substrate detection sensor detects that the substrate 140a is not present at a predetermined position and has been carried out, and the viscous fluid application device ends the application operation (step S450).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a change in force applied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334.
Before the viscous fluid application device starts the application operation, a timing at which a continuous constant force is applied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the force is once released, and A timing at which a pulse-like force starts to be applied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334 is shown. At this time, the continuous constant force causes the switching valve 331 to communicate the cartridge 330 with the air supply source 332, and compressed air having a pressure larger than atmospheric pressure is always supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334. The pulsating force is generated by repeating the switching by the switching valve 331 at a predetermined time interval, for example, 2 seconds, and the pressure changes intermittently at a predetermined time interval, that is, pressure. Is generated by supplying the compressed air that repeatedly rises and falls to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334.

  The operation of starting to apply the pulse-like force is executed based on the following result detected by the substrate detection sensor. For example, when a result is obtained that a substrate to be coated next is not carried into a stage where viscous fluid is applied to the substrate and a predetermined position in front of the stage within a time controlled by some trouble, Alternatively, in the case where a result that the substrate on which the viscous fluid has been applied is not carried out within a controlled time due to some trouble is obtained, the substrate is continuously supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334. After the constant compressed air is released, continuous constant compressed air is supplied, and the piston 334 is moved up and down to prevent the viscosity of the viscous fluid from increasing.

  However, even if the substrate is loaded / unloaded within the normal time, the time required for loading / unloading the substrate is sufficient to increase the viscosity of the viscous fluid, and it is detected that the substrate has been loaded. If it is not unloaded after a controlled time, the continuous constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334 is released, and then the continuous constant compressed air is released. And the piston 334 is moved up and down to prevent the viscosity of the viscous fluid from increasing.

  That is, the time during which the coating head 100 does not apply the viscous fluid to the substrate 140a, that is, the time during which the coating head 100 does not actually perform the coating operation becomes long, and the viscosity of the viscous fluid hinders the coating operation. When it rises to such an extent that it occurs, the cartridge 330 and the piston 334 are elastic members by executing the above operation, and therefore the internal volume of the cartridge 330 and the shape of the piston 334 always change. The viscous fluid in the inside is constantly moved, and the viscosity of the viscous fluid is prevented from rising again until continuous constant compressed air is supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334 again. Especially when the viscous fluid is a sealant, the sealant contains a filler that is a polymer material having a high intermolecular attractive force, and the viscosity tends to increase. Demonstrate the effect.

  For example, when the viscous fluid is a sealant composed of silicon, the application operation is not performed by the application head for about 2 to 3 minutes, and if the viscous fluid is not moved, the viscosity of the viscous fluid is increased. Solidification starts, but if the switching operation is performed by the switching valve at about 1 to 30 times / min while the coating operation is not performed, the viscosity increase of the viscous fluid is prevented and solidification is prevented.

  FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining the application of the viscous fluid by the application head 100 (application of the viscous fluid in step S430 in FIG. 4). 6A shows the opening / closing timing of the supply cock 341, FIG. 6B shows the rotation timing of the discharge shaft 320, and FIG. 6C shows the discharge timing of the viscous fluid from the nozzle 310. ing.

First, the supply cock 341 is opened to supply the viscous fluid to the application head 100 (t = t ₀ ).
Next, the screw portion 321 is rotated to discharge the viscous fluid from the nozzle 310 (t = t ₁ ).

Next, the supply cock 341 is closed, and the supply of the viscous fluid to the coating head 100 is stopped (t = t ₂ ).
Finally, the rotation of the screw part 321 is stopped, and the discharge of the viscous fluid from the nozzle 310 is stopped (t = t ₃ ).

Hereinafter, the operation of the viscous fluid supply device of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 (a) shows that a constant and constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334 is supplied without being released when the coating operation and the substrate are not carried in / out. The passage of time when the operation is continued, or the passage of time when the device is left open, and the viscous fluid existing in the gap between the piston 334 and the cartridge 330 under these conditions (FIG. 3). The relationship with the change in the viscosity of the viscous fluid of the A part in FIG. FIG. 7B shows the passage of time when the compressed air is intermittently supplied after the continuous constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334 is released. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship with a change in viscosity of a viscous fluid (viscous fluid in a portion A in FIG. 3) existing in a gap between a piston 334 and a cartridge 330.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the number of times of application after restarting the application operation and the application amount at that time. 7A and 8A are (1) a stage on which a viscous fluid is applied to a substrate, and a substrate to be applied next to a predetermined position in front of the stage, which is controlled by some trouble. In the case where the substrate is not loaded within the specified time and the substrate after the application of the viscous fluid is not carried out within the time controlled by some trouble, or (2) the substrate is loaded / unloaded within the normal time In the case where it takes time to increase the viscosity of the viscous fluid before the substrate loading / unloading is completed, the continuous supply of the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334 is continued. It is a figure which shows the viscosity increase course of the viscous fluid when a constant compressed air has been continued to be supplied without being released, or when it has been left open.7 (b) and 8 (b) show that the constant constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334 once under the above conditions (1) and (2). This is the case when the compressed air is intermittently supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 after being opened. In FIG. 8, “●”, “◯”, “△”, “□”, and “◇” each release continuous constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334. It is shown that the time required for the compressed air having the same condition to be supplied to the viscous fluid is 0, 5, 10, 30, and 60 min.

  From FIG. 7A and FIG. 8A, after the continuous constant compressed air applied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 is released through the piston 334, the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 is again passed through the piston 334. If the compressed air is not supplied intermittently until the compressed air of the same condition is supplied, the viscosity of the viscous fluid existing in the gap between the piston 334 and the cartridge 330 is increased due to the characteristics of the viscous fluid, and the coating amount It can be seen that the variation in the size increases. On the other hand, from FIGS. 7B and 8B, after the continuous and constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 is released through the piston 334, the compressed air having the same conditions is again used. When compressed air is supplied intermittently until the viscous fluid is supplied to the viscous fluid, the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the gap between the piston 334 and the cartridge 330 is hardly increased, and the variation in the coating amount is almost eliminated. I understand. This is presumably due to the fact that the increase in the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the gap between the piston 334 and the cartridge 330 (the viscous fluid in the A portion in FIG. 3) is prevented. That is, when the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the gap between the piston 334 and the cartridge 330 increases, the piston 334 receives a large resistance when it descends, and the amount of viscous fluid supplied to the coating head changes.

  As described above, according to the viscous fluid application device of the present embodiment, the viscous fluid supply device 102 is released from the constant and constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334. From the above, the viscosity increase of the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 is prevented with a simple structure until the compressed air of the same condition is supplied to the viscous fluid again. That is, unlike the viscous fluid supply apparatus of FIG. 9, the piston 334 and the cartridge 330 are used to prevent the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 from being increased without providing a screw part and a drive motor. The viscous fluid application device of the embodiment can realize a viscous fluid supply device having a simple structure that enables the application amount control of the viscous fluid with high accuracy.

  The viscous fluid application apparatus according to the present invention has been described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications or changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It goes without saying that corrections are possible.

  For example, in the viscous fluid application device of the present embodiment, the switching by the switching valve 331 is repeated, and compressed air is intermittently supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334, and the internal volume of the cartridge 330 and the piston 334 The shape was changed to prevent the viscosity of the viscous fluid from increasing. However, there are cases where the substrate to be coated next is not carried into the stage where the viscous fluid is applied to the substrate and the predetermined position in front of the stage within a controlled time due to some trouble, and the viscous fluid is applied. In the case where the finished board is not carried out within a controlled time due to some trouble, or the board has been carried in / out within the normal time, the viscous fluid is When it takes a time to increase the viscosity, a pressure adjusting unit is provided instead of the switching valve 331, and compressed air is intermittently supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334. The internal volume and the shape of the piston 334 may be changed to prevent the viscosity of the viscous fluid from increasing.

  In addition, when a time of 10 minutes or longer is required from the end of the application operation to the restart, the application of the first viscous fluid after the application operation is resumed is not performed on the substrate 140a, and the application of the first viscous fluid is discarded. You can hit it.

In the present embodiment, the substrate is described as an example of the substrate to be coated. However, the present invention can also be applied to a viscous fluid supply device that supplies a viscous fluid to a substrate other than the substrate.
In addition, (1) if the substrate to be coated next is not carried into the stage where the viscous fluid is applied to the substrate and the predetermined position in front of the stage within a predetermined time controlled by some trouble, When the substrate on which the fluid application has been completed is not carried out within a predetermined time controlled by some trouble, or (2) the substrate is loaded / unloaded within the normal time, but the substrate is loaded / unloaded. In the case where a predetermined time is required to increase the viscosity of the viscous fluid until completion, the predetermined time is the type of viscous fluid supplied to the coating head 100, for example, supply conditions such as temperature, etc. May be determined.

  In the present embodiment, the operation of starting to apply a pulse-like force is executed based on the result detected by the substrate detection sensor. However, the operation of starting to apply a pulse-like force may be executed based on the control result of the rotation start and stop of the screw unit 321 by the control unit 160. That is, when an off signal instructing rotation start is transmitted to the screw unit 321 and no off signal instructing rotation stop is transmitted within a controlled time, the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 is continuously transmitted through the piston 334. A constant compressed air may be supplied.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a viscous fluid coating apparatus and its solidification prevention method, and in particular, can be used for a viscous fluid supply apparatus of a viscous fluid coating apparatus that holds viscous fluid and supplies it to a coating head, a solidification prevention method thereof, and the like. .

It is an external view of the viscous fluid application apparatus of an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the viscous fluid coating device of the embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of a coating head and a viscous fluid supply apparatus. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the application | coating operation | movement of the viscous fluid application | coating apparatus of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the change of the force added to a cartridge and a piston. (A) It is a figure which shows the opening / closing timing of a supply cock. (B) It is a figure which shows the rotation timing of the shaft for discharge. (C) It is a figure which shows the discharge timing of the viscous fluid from a nozzle. (A) When the application operation and the substrate loading / unloading are not performed, the continuous constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 through the piston 334 is continuously supplied without being released. Or it is a figure which shows the relationship between progress of the time left in the open state, and the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the cartridge. (B) When the coating operation and the substrate loading / unloading are not performed, the compressed air is intermittently interrupted after the constant and constant compressed air supplied to the viscous fluid in the cartridge 330 is released through the piston 334. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the passage of time when the ink is supplied and the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the cartridge. (A) It is a figure which shows the relationship between the frequency | count of application | coating after restarting application | coating operation | movement, and a coating amount. (B) It is a figure which shows the relationship between the frequency | count of application | coating after restarting application | coating operation | movement, and a coating amount. . It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the viscous fluid supply apparatus of patent document 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Application head 102 Viscous fluid supply apparatus 110 X-axis part 120 Y-axis part 130 Z-axis part 140 Substrate conveyance part 140a Substrate 150 Head height detection sensor 160 Control part 310 Nozzle 320 Discharge shaft 321 and 810 Screw part 330 Cartridge 331 Switching Valve 332 Air supply source 334 Piston 340 Supply piping 341 Supply cock 800 Container 820 Drive motor 830 Supply port

Claims (5)

A viscous fluid supply device for supplying a viscous fluid to an application head for applying a viscous fluid to an object to be coated,
A cylindrical tank for holding the viscous fluid, the tank connected to a supply pipe for guiding the viscous fluid in the tank to the coating head ;
A piston that covers the surface of the viscous fluid held in the tank and moves up and down in the tank;
An air supply means for supplying air by continuously applying a pressure larger than the atmospheric pressure to a space above the piston in the tank;
It is determined whether or not the viscous fluid in the tank is guided to the application head by opening and closing, and the viscous fluid to the application head is connected by a supply cock connected to the supply pipe so as to turn on / off the supply of the viscous fluid. That the time during which no viscous fluid is applied after the coating head is stopped and the coating head finishes the coating operation on the substrate has reached a predetermined time such that the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the tank increases. Detecting means for detecting;
When the detecting means is time that is not coated with the viscous fluid was detected that reaches the predetermined time, the relative air supply means, a pulse-like a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure from the supply state to continually added And a control means for controlling to switch to a solidification prevention state in which supply pressure is repeatedly raised and lowered repeatedly. As the detection means, a substrate detection sensor that detects that a substrate to be coated next is not carried in within a predetermined time, or detects that a substrate on which application of viscous fluid has been finished is not carried out within a predetermined time. The viscous fluid supply device according to claim 1, comprising: The application head is configured to rotate the screw part and discharge the viscous fluid from the nozzle,
2. The viscous fluid according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects that the time during which the viscous fluid is not applied has reached a predetermined time by detecting the start and stop of the rotation of the screw part. Feeding device. A method for preventing solidification of viscous fluid in a viscous fluid supply device for supplying viscous fluid to an application head for applying viscous fluid to an object to be coated,
The viscous fluid supply device includes:
A cylindrical tank for holding the viscous fluid, the tank connected to a supply pipe for guiding the viscous fluid in the tank to the coating head;
Covering the liquid level of the viscous fluid held in the tank, and a piston that moves up and down in the tank,
The viscous fluid solidification preventing method is:
Supplying air by a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure continuously added it into said tank,
It is determined whether or not the viscous fluid in the tank is guided to the application head by opening and closing, and the viscous fluid to the application head is connected by a supply cock connected to the supply pipe so as to turn on / off the supply of the viscous fluid. That the time during which no viscous fluid is applied after the coating head is stopped and the coating head finishes the coating operation on the substrate has reached a predetermined time such that the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the tank increases. When detected, the air supply is switched from a supply state in which a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is continuously applied to a solidification prevention state in which the supply pressure is repeatedly increased and decreased in a pulsed manner. Prevention method. A program for operating a viscous fluid supply device that supplies viscous fluid to an application head that applies viscous fluid to an object to be coated,
The viscous fluid supply device includes:
A cylindrical tank for holding the viscous fluid, the tank connected to a supply pipe for guiding the viscous fluid in the tank to the coating head;
Covering the liquid level of the viscous fluid held in the tank, and a piston that moves up and down in the tank,
The program is
And supplying the air by a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure continuously added it into said tank,
It is determined whether or not the viscous fluid in the tank is guided to the application head by opening and closing, and the viscous fluid to the application head is connected by a supply cock connected to the supply pipe so as to turn on / off the supply of the viscous fluid. That the time during which no viscous fluid is applied after the coating head is stopped and the coating head finishes the coating operation on the substrate has reached a predetermined time such that the viscosity of the viscous fluid in the tank increases. A program that, when detected, causes the computer to switch from a supply state that continuously applies a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure to a solidification prevention state that repeatedly increases and decreases the supply pressure in pulses.

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